Concealed Post Tie

ABSTRACT

An elongated connector is provided for connecting first and second structural members, the elongated connector is received in the first and second structural members and is connected to structural members with first and second lateral fasteners with the connector and the fastener being substantially hidden from view.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a connector for making a hidden connectionbetween two members, typically a post and a beam.

Most hidden connections involve removing material from one or both ofthe structural members. One common type of hidden connector is anelongated tubular member. The hidden connector is inserted in alignedslots or bores in the members. The connector is secured to thestructural member by means of lateral fasteners that engage the body ofthe connector at opposed ends of the connector. The lateral fastenersare inserted through lateral bores in the structural members. Typicallateral fasteners include dowels, screws, pins or nails. The ends of thelateral passages are exposed and these can be filled with a material toprovide a more pleasing appearance.

There are many patented and un-patented connectors in this area. BritishPatent 1,133,931, invented by Henry Teisserie and published in 1968teaches a notched bar that is inserted in aligned slots in the membersand is attached to the member by special fasteners received in lateralpassages in the members. The special fasteners receive the notched barand threaded members in the lateral fasteners engage the notches in thebar, and when they are turned the structural members are drawn togetherwith respect to the notched bar.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,002, granted to Charles F. Logie in 1977 and U.S.Pat. No. 4,405,253, granted to Bernt I. Stockum, in 1983 teachcylindrical connectors inserted into aligned closed-end bores in twodifferent members. In both patents the connectors are secured to themembers by lateral fasteners that pass through lateral passages in themembers and connect to the ends of the connectors. In both patents, oneof the lateral fasteners is itself a second connector secured at one ofits ends by another lateral fastener.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,083, granted in 1998 to Didier Schwartz teaches acylindrical connector inserted into aligned, closed-end bores in the twodifferent members. The connector is secured to the members by lateralfasteners that are inserted into the connector near its ends. Thelateral fasteners are inserted and engage lateral passages in thestructural members, creating a mechanical interlock with the structuralmembers and the connector. The lateral fasteners pass all the waythrough the connector. The lateral fasteners or pins and the connectorare designed so that manipulation of the lateral fasteners draws thestructural members closer to each other to create a tight fit.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,397, granted in 2001 to Graig Mengel teaches acylindrical connector inserted into aligned, closed-end bores in the twomembers. The connector is secured to the members by friction. The endsof the cylindrical members can expand to fill the bores. The ends of thecylindrical member are caused to expand by actuating a mechanism at thecenter portion of the connector that is accessed through a lateralopening in one of the structural members.

The means of making the connection in the present invention are almostentirely hidden from view, and because the connector of the presentinvention can be used as a structural connection, the connection of thepresent invention is particularly suited for building designs where thestructural components of the frame of the building are exposed. In suchinstances, it is often desirable to hide the hardware that connects thestructural members.

The present invention provides a connector that is simple tomanufacture, strong and easy to install.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a connection betweentwo members in a structure. It is a further object to make such aconnection wherein the means of making the connection are completely oralmost completely hidden from view. It is a further object of thepresent invention to provide a method by which a hidden connection iseasily made.

The present invention is a connection between a first structural memberand a second structural member. The first structural member can be apost and the second structural member can be a beam or a concretefoundation. The connection is made with an elongated connector andlateral fasteners. The elongated connector can be received in alignedbore holes in each of the first and second structural members. One ormore lateral fasteners connect the elongated connector to the firststructural member. One or more lateral fasteners connect the elongatedconnector to the second structural member.

According to the present invention, the elongated connector is a hollow,substantially tubular member formed from cold formed sheet metal.According to the present invention, the connector can be generallycylindrical in shape so that the bores in the first and secondstructural member are easily made with a standard drill. Also accordingto the present invention, the elongated connector is made with one ormore flattened sides. The one or more flattened sides allow for thegenerally elongated connector to be laid on its side without rolling.This allows the elongated connector to also easily be used as a templatefor determining where the bores for the lateral fasteners need to bedrilled in the first and second structural members. In the preferredembodiment, the connector is made with a pair of oppositely disposedflattened sides such that the connector has an obround cross-sectionwhen viewed from its end.

According to the present invention, the elongated connector is formedwith one or more locator tabs to assist the installer with determiningthe proper location for the lateral fastening bores when using theelongated connector as a template. Each locator tab preferably extendsfrom a flattened side. In the preferred embodiment, the elongatedconnector is formed with two opposed flattened sides and two locatortabs extending from each flattened side with the locator tabs extendingin opposite directions. According to the present invention, theconnector is also formed with an indicator to show which end of theconnector should be inserted in the post and which end should beinserted in the beam.

According to the present invention, the connector is a hollow memberwith a slit running the length of the connector. The connector is formedby rolling a flat member into the shape of the connector. In particular,according to the present invention, the connector can be formed from asubstantially rectangular and planar sheet that is rolled to form asubstantially tubular member with the side edges of the sheet in closeproximity with a narrow slit between them. According to the presentinvention the corners where the edges of the rectangular body meet arebeveled so that a diagonal segment connects the edges of the body.

According to the preset invention, the openings provided in theconnector for receiving the lateral fasteners have coined edges suchthat the sides of the openings splay outwardly creating a funnel shapethat more easily allows the lateral fastener to be initially insertedinto an opening and into first contact with the connector. The openingsin the connector are also preferably obround with the substantiallyflattened sides opposed to each other and spaced from each other alongthe longitudinal axis, and the flattened edges or sides extend laterallyor orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the connector. The extendedlateral width of the openings allows the lateral fasteners to be moreeasily inserted into the openings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connection according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of the connection FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, cross-sectional view of the connection ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation, cross-sectional view of connection of FIG.1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a connector of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the connector of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a back elevation view of the connector of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the connector of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the connector of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation, cross-sectional view of the connector ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation, cross-sectional view of the connector ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the lateral fastener of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 is an end view of the lateral fastener of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a front view of the lateral fastener of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a connection according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 16 is a side elevation, cross-sectional view of the connection ofFIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a front elevation, cross-sectional view of the connection ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a connector of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of the connector of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a back elevation view of the connector of FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a side elevation view of the connector of FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 is a side elevation view of the connector of FIG. 18.

FIG. 23 is a front elevation, cross-sectional view of the connector ofFIG. 18.

FIG. 24 is a side elevation, cross-sectional view of the connector ofFIG. 18.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the lateral fastener of the presentinvention.

FIG. 26 is an end view of the lateral fastener of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a front view of the lateral fastener of FIG. 25.

FIG. 28 is a close up view of a second opening in the connector.

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional side view of a second opening in theconnector.

FIG. 30 is an end view of the connector.

FIG. 31 is a side elevation, cross-sectional view of the connection ofthe present invention.

FIG. 32 is a side elevation, cross-sectional view of the connection ofthe present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a connection between a first member 1 and asecond member 2. The connection is designed to resist tension and shearforces between the members 1 and 2. Preferably, the first member 1 has aface surface 3, and the second member has a matching surface 4. As shownin FIG. 1, in one preferred embodiment of the invention, the facesurface 3 and the matching surface 4 are brought into flush contact andpositively joined by the elongated connector 5 of the present invention.This creates a strong connection, as well as a connection that isaesthetically pleasing. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, preferably theface and matching surfaces 3 and 4 are planar, and the face and matchingsurfaces are disposed horizontally.

The first and second members 1 and 2 can be structural framing membersin a building. As shown in FIG. 1, the first member 1 is preferably apost or upright stud. As shown in FIG. 1, the second member 2 can be ahorizontally-disposed, structural framing member such as a beam of abuilding or a structure. The first and second members 1 and 2 can bothbe made from wood. The second member 2 can also be a cementitious memberof a structure. The second member could be a horizontally-disposedfoundation with the post 1 above it, but the second member 2 could alsobe vertically disposed cementitious member such as a cement post orwall, and the first member 1 could be a horizontally disposed framingmember such as a joist extending laterally from the cement wall.

In order to better define the invention the connector 5 is described ashaving a longitudinal axis 6 as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 2, afirst preferred embodiment of the connection of the present inventionused to join the first and second members 1 and 2 also includes one ormore first lateral fasteners 7 received by the elongated connector 5 andthe first structural member 1, and one or more second lateral fasteners8 received by the elongated connector 5 and the second structural member2. As shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinal axis 6 of the connector 5 isdisposed orthogonally to the face surface 3 and the matching surface 4and aligned with the first and second aligned bores 9 and 10 in thefirst and second members 1 and 2, respectively. The first and secondaligned bores 9 and 10 are preferably cylindrical, blind bores.

The elements of the connection are preferably arranged in the followingmanner with respect to the first and second members 1 and 2. The firstlateral fasteners 7 are received by the elongated connector 5 andanchored in the first structural member 1. The first lateral fasteners 7lie at an angle to the longitudinal axis 6 of the connector 5. This ispreferably an orthogonal angle as shown in FIG. 4. This creates a shearcomponent on the fasteners 7, when the connection is under tension. Thesecond lateral fasteners 8 are received by the elongated connector 5 andanchored in the second member 2. The second lateral fasteners 8 lie atan angle to the longitudinal axis 6 of the connector 5. This ispreferably an orthogonal angle as shown in FIG. 3. This creates a shearcomponent on the fasteners 8, when the connection is under tension. Thefirst and second lateral fasteners 7 and 8 are preferably pins or dowelsbut they can also be lag bolts, or a combination of a pin or othermember and hardened epoxy, or just epoxy.

The first and second lateral fasteners 7 and 8 are preferably receivedin first and second lateral bores 11 and 12 formed in the first andsecond members 1 and 2, respectively. The lateral bores 11 and 12 arepreferably formed in the first and second members 1 and 2 so as tointersect with the aligned bores 9 and 10 respectively. The lateralbores 11 and 12 can also be blind bores, but as shown in the drawingsthey preferably extend all the way through the first and second members1 and 2. This allows the installer to see whether the lateral fasteners7 and 8 have passed all the way through the elongated connector 5 andthat the lateral fasteners 7 and 8 extends equally beyond the connector5 on both sides. The lateral bores are also preferably formed tointersect with first and second openings 13 and 14 in the elongatedconnector 5.

The first and second lateral fasteners 7 and 8 are long enough that theycan extend through the elongated connector 5 and bear on the passagewalls 15 and 16 of the first and second lateral bores 11 and 12 of thefirst and second members 1 and 2.

As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 8 and 9, the connector 5 is made with oneor more tabs 17 that project from the body 18 of the connector.Preferably there are two tabs 17 disposed on opposite sides of the body18 of the connector. The tabs 17 have end surfaces 19 that are liftedaway from the body 18. Preferably the end surfaces 19 are oppositelydisposed. They face different directions on the longitudinal axis 6 ofthe connector 5. As shown in FIG. 9, the end surfaces 19 are preferablylocated at a point on the connector 5 between the portion that will bedisposed in the first structural member 1 and the portion that will bedisposed in the second structural member 2. The tabs 17 are made frommaterial cut from the body 18 of the connector and then bent outwardly.As is also shown in FIG. 9, an indicator 20 is provided on the connectorto show the point on the connector 5 where the first and second members1 and 2 would interface. As shown in FIG. 9, this indicator is a line20. An indicator 21 in the form of the word “post” and an arrow pointingtoward the end 23 of the connector 5 that would be inserted in the firststructural member 1 is also provided near indicator 20. Similarly, anindicator 22 in the form of the word “beam” and an arrow pointing towardthe end 24 of the connector 5 that would be inserted in the secondstructural member 2 is also provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the body 18 of the connector 5 is made with one ormore flattened sides 25. Preferably, the connector 5 is made with a pairof opposed flattened sides 25. The flattened sides 25 give the connectoran obround cross section.

As shown in FIGS. 5-11, the connector 5 is preferably hollow and madefrom a single sheet rolled into the form of an almost completely closedcylinder. Preferably, the connector 5 is made from sheet steel and iscold-formed into the cylindrical shape. The body 18 has a left edgesegment 26 and a right edge segment 27 and when the body 5 is formedinto the final cylindrical shape, the left edge segment 26 and the rightedge segment 27 are disposed closely adjacent each other. The left edgesegment 26 and the right edge segment 27 could also touch. As shown inFIG. 8, the left edge segment 26 is parallel to the right edge segment27 with a slit 28 between them. The slit 28 runs the length of theconnector 5. The body 18 of the connector 5 is also formed with a bottomedge segment 29 and a top edge segment 30. The bottom and top edgesegments 29 and 30 define the longitudinal extent of the connector 5. Asshown in FIG. 5, preferably, the edge segments 26, 27, 29 and 30 arejoined by diagonal segments 31 that intersect with adjacent edgesegments at angles of less than 90 degrees. The diagonal segments 31bevel the generally square edges that would otherwise be formed by theintersection of the edge segments 26, 27, 29 and 30.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the first and second openings 13 and 14 inthe body 18 of the connector 5 are formed as obround openings withelongated, laterally extending edges that extend orthogonally to thelongitudinal axis 6 of the connector. The edge 32 of the openings 13 and14 are also coined so that the wall 33 of the openings 13 and 14 spreadsoutwardly. This creates a funnel shaped opening that helps direct thefirst and second lateral fasteners 7 and 8 into the openings 13 and 14when the first and second lateral fasteners are inserted into theconnector 5.

The elongated connector 5 can also be used to anchor a post 1 to thefoundation 2 of a building. In this instance, the foundation is thesecond member 2. When using the device in this manner, the elongatedconnector 5 can be set in the foundation 2 and interlock with theconcrete or set in a bore 12 in the foundation 2 and held in place by astructural grade adhesive such an acrylic or epoxy based adhesive.

The connection is made in the following manner. The center of apreferably squared-off post 1 is marked. Then, using a 1.25″ auger bitand a square the first aligned bore 9 is drilled into the face surface 3of the post 1. The connector 5 is then placed in the post 1 and a lineis drawn on one of the sides of the post that aligns with thelongitudinal axis 6 of the connector 5. Then the connector 5 is placedon the side of the post 1 with the longitudinal axis 6 of the connector5 aligned with the line, and the end surface 19 of the appropriate tab17 in contact with the face surface 3, and the center of the openings 13for the dowel pins 7 is marked on the center line. Preferably, theconnector 5 has an indicator 21 to show which end is inserted into thepost 1. Then the lateral bores 11 are drilled in the side of the post 1and through the post with a ½″ auger and a square. The lateral bores 11intersect with the aligned 9 bore in the post 1. Then the center of thematching surface 4 of the beam 2 is marked. Then, using a 1.25″ augerbit and a square the second aligned bore 10 is drilled into the matchingsurface 4 of the beam 2. The connector 5 is then placed in the beam 2and a line is drawn on one of the sides of the beam 2 that aligns withthe longitudinal axis 6 of the connector 5. Then the connector 5 splaced on the side of the beam 2 with the longitudinal axis 6 of theconnector 5 aligned with the line, and the end surface 19 of the tab 17in contact with the matching surface 4, and the center of the openings14 for the dowel pins 8 are marked on the center line. Preferably, theconnector 5 has an indicator 22 to show which end is inserted into thebeam 2. Then the lateral bores 12 are drilled in the side of the beam 2and through the beam 2 using a ½″ auger and a square. The lateral bores12 intersect with the aligned bore 10 in the beam 2. The proper end ofthe connector 5 is then inserted into the post 1, and the lateral pinsare installed into the openings in the post 1 and the connector 5. Thebeam 2 is then placed on the post 1 with the connector 5 inserted intothe aligned bore 10 in the beam 2. The pins 8 are then installed in thebeam 2. Preferably, all of the pins 7 and 8 are installed with theirends an equal distance from the sides of the post 1 and the beam 2. Thelateral openings 11 and 12 can be filled or provided with plugs to hidethe ends of the lateral fasteners 7 and 8.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the openings 14 for the lateral fasteners 8to be received in the beam 2 are spaced further apart than the openings13 for the lateral fasteners 7 to be received in the post 1. The centersof the openings 13 and 14 closest to each end of the connector 5 arepreferably spaced 0.75″ from the ends of the connector 5. For the firstopenings 13 in the post end of the connector 5, either one or two moreopenings 13 are provided with their centers spaced 1.625″ from eachother and the initial opening 13. For the second openings 14 in the beamend of the connector 5, either one or two more openings 14 are providedwith their centers spaced 2″ from each other and the initial opening 14.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the connector 5 is installed in douglas firwooden members with the post 1 being a nominal 6″×6″ verticallyextending post 1 and the beam 2 being a nominal 6″×8″ horizontallyextending, continuous beam 2, and the connector 5 is 14″ long with a1.25″ diameter and the longitudinal axis 6 of the connector isvertically disposed or within 5 degrees of being vertically disposed,and three ½″×4.75″ steel dowel pins are received in the post 1 and three½″×4.75″ steel dowel pins are received in the beam 2, the connection canachieve allowable loads of 4,215 pounds uplift, 1,655 pounds lateralloading and 18,140 down loading. As shown in FIG. 3, under similarconditions, when the connector 5 is installed in douglas fir woodenmembers with the post 1 being a nominal 4″×6″ post 1 and the beam 2being a nominal 4″×6″ continuous beam 2, and the connector 5 is 10″ longwith a 1.25″ diameter with two ½″×4.75″ steel dowel pins in the post 1and two ½″×4.75″ steel dowel pins in the beam 2, the connection canachieve allowable loads of 2020 pounds uplift, 750 pounds lateralloading and 6,890 down loading.

We claim:
 1. A connection between a first structural member and a secondstructural member made with a connector and one or more first and secondfasteners, the connection comprising: a. a first structural memberhaving a face surface; b. a second structural member having a matchingsurface, with the face surface of the first structural memberinterfacing with the matching surface of the second structural member;c. a connector, said connector being an elongated member received inboth the first structural member and the second structural member andpassing through the face surface of the first structural member and thematching surface of the second structural member, the connector having abody and a longitudinal axis; d. the one or more first fasteners arereceived by the connector and by the first structural member; and e. theone or more second fasteners are received by the connector and by thesecond structural member.
 2. The connection of claim 1, wherein: theelongated connector is made with one or more flattened sides.
 3. Theconnection of claim 1, wherein: the connector is made with two flattenedsides that are oppositely disposed.
 3. The connection of claim 1,wherein: one or more tabs project from the body of the connector, andeach of the one or more tabs is formed with an end surface, and the oneor more tabs are located on the connector such that when the connectoris received in the first and second structural members the end surfacesof the one or more tabs are adjacent the face surface and the matchingsurface.
 4. The connection of claim 3, wherein: the connector is formedwith two tabs disposed on opposite sides of the body and the endsurfaces of the tabs face different directions on the longitudinal axisof the connector.
 5. The connection of claim 4, wherein: the connectoris made with two flattened sides that are oppositely disposed, and thetabs project from the flattened sides.
 6. The connection of claim 1,wherein: the body of the connector is a hollow tube.
 7. The connectionof claim 6, wherein: the elongated connector is made with one or moreflattened sides.
 8. The connection of claim 7, wherein: the connector ismade with two flattened sides that are oppositely disposed.
 9. Theconnection of claim 8, wherein: one or more tabs project from the bodyof the connector, and each of the one or more tabs is formed with an endsurface, and the one or more tabs are located on the connector such thatwhen the connector is received in the first and second structuralmembers the end surfaces of the one or more tabs are adjacent the facesurface and the matching surface.
 10. The connection of claim 9,wherein: the connector is formed with two tabs disposed on oppositesides of the body and the end surfaces of the tabs face differentdirections on the longitudinal axis of the connector.
 11. The connectionof claim 1, wherein: the body of the connector is made from a singlesheet rolled into the general form of a cylinder, and the body has aleft edge segment and a right edge segment, and when the body is formedinto the general form of a cylinder, the left edge segment and the rightedge segment are adjacent.
 12. The connection of claim 11, wherein: thebody of the connector is formed with a bottom edge segment and a topedge segment with the bottom and top edge segments defining thelongitudinal extent of the connector, and wherein the left, right, topand bottom edge segments are joined by diagonal segments that intersectwith adjacent edge segments of the left, right top and bottom edgesegments at angles of less than 90 degrees
 13. The connection of claim12, wherein: the left edge segment is parallel to the right edge segmentwith a slit between the left edge segment and the right edge segment.14. The connection of claim 11, wherein: one or more tabs project fromthe body of the connector, and each of the one or more tabs is formedwith an end surface, and the one or more tabs are located on theconnector such that when the connector is received in the first andsecond structural members the end surfaces of the one or more tabs areadjacent the face surface and the matching surface.
 15. The connectionof claim 14, wherein: the connector is formed with two tabs disposed onopposite sides of the body and the end surfaces of the tabs facedifferent directions on the longitudinal axis of the connector.
 16. Theconnection of claim 15, wherein: the connector is made with twoflattened sides that are oppositely disposed, and the tabs project fromthe flattened sides.
 17. The connection of claim 1, wherein: theconnector is made with first and second lateral openings that receivethe first and second lateral fasteners respectively, and the first andsecond lateral openings splay outwardly.
 18. The connection of claim 1,wherein: the connector is made with first and second lateral openingsthat receive the first and second lateral fasteners respectively, andthe first and second lateral openings are obround with substantiallyflattened oppositely disposed side edges that run orthogonally to thelongitudinal axis of the connector.
 19. The connection of claim 1,wherein: at least one of the one or more first and second fasteners isan adhesive.
 20. The connection of claim 1, wherein: the connector isformed with an indicator, and the indicator is located on the connectorsuch that when the connector is received in the first and secondstructural members the indicator is near the face surface and thematching surface.